🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1991May4.052108.695@visix.com> amanda@visix.com (Amanda Walker)
writes:

> On the other hand, what's the use of going through the effort and
> expense of putting together a really good piece of software, if anyone
> else can come by and take your design, lock, stock, and barrel,
> without even giving you the time of day?

No one is suggesting that anyone's design should be ripped off "lock, stock,
and barrel."  This is way too extreme.

You are objecting to the view that what Apple wants is to forbid anything
that looks even remotely like a Macintosh.  You do you think it helps your
case to suggest something even less believable in the opposite direction?

> Why should Apple, which has invested millions of dollars and thousands of
> hours into user interface research, foot the design bill for the rest of
> the industry?

Because the Mac is mostly a ripoff of earlier designs, no matter what the
situation with statutes of limitations.  Why should Apple own what they
did not even invent and much of which is obvious or trivial?

>   If Apple, Lotus, and the like win precedent-setting court cases over
>   software similarity, then (as RMS pointed out) the GNU project is doomed.
>
> Only if their goal is to produce the same thing as everyone else.  If GNU is
> going to be just another UNIX, why bother?

As I am sure you know, the GNU folks *love* features.  GNU will not be just
another UNIX.  No way!

But why should they fear that they will infringe on AT&T's rights if they
don't break "ls"?  Do we really have to say "gls"?  Maybe that is too
close to the same "look and feel" as well.  How many ways are there to say
"list" that have never been used on any computer anywhere?

Suppose that it is "gls" and that's o. k., but I am allowed to alias it to
"ls"?  Didn't Lotus win a case that said even an interface that could be
made by the user to look like 1-2-3 was forbidden?

This look-and-feel nonsense is absolute poison.  Where *does* it stop?

Charles Geyer
Department of Statistics
University of Chicago
geyer@galton.uchicago.edu